“Oshane Thomas is a really exciting talent without doubt, good height plus that jump he takes, if he bowls in the right areas, it won’t be easy for any batsman in the world to counter that.” - India captain Rohit Sharma

“We could’ve scored 130-140, which would’ve been a winning total, had we kept some wickets for the back end.” - Windies skipper Carlos Brathwaite

“As a senior player, I keep telling myself, need to absorb pressure, but at the same time play positive cricket, make sure I bat through and take on the bowlers.” - Dinesh Karthik

India win by five wickets!
IND 110/5 in 17.5 overs (Karthik 30*, Krunal 21*)
Krunal scores the winning runs on debut. Karthik steers India across the line with a steady knock of 30*. There were a few tense moments, but West Indies did not have enough on the board to defend. India take a 1-0 series lead in the three match series.

After 17 overs, IND 100/5 (Karthik 30*, Krunal 12*)
100 up for India! Krunal settles in quickly. Provides Karthik with an able partner as India look to cross the line after few tense moments. They need another 10 runs from 18 balls.

After 16 overs, IND 94/5 (Karthik 29*, Krunal 7*)

After 15 overs, IND 83/5
WICKET! Pandey gone! Trouble for India! They are five down now. Pierrer with a fine delivery and a superb catch off his own bowling. India still need another 27 runs to win off 30 balls.

After 14 overs, IND 80/4 (Pandey 18*, Karthik 23*)

After 13 overs, IND 73/4 (Pandey 12*, Karthik 22*)

After 12 overs, IND 69/4 (Karthik 21*, Pandey 9*)
Karthik finishes Pollard’s first over with back to back boundaries. India all but there now. Windies’ pressure loosening up a bit.

After 11 overs, IND 57/4 (Pandey 9*, Karthik 9*)

After 10 overs, IND 54/4 (Pandey 7*, Karthik 8*)

After 9 overs, IND 52/4 (Pandey 7*, Karthik 6*)
50 up for India. Kathik gets a six from top-edge off Thomas. It hasn’t been smooth going, but India still well on course for a win. They need another 58 runs from 11 overs.

After 8 overs, IND 45/4 (Pandey 6*, Karthik 0*)
WICKET! Rahul gone! Holes out in the deep. India making this match interesting. West Indies sniff a chance but don’t have a lot to defend. Can India hold their nerve?
Rahul c Bravo b Brathwaite 16 (22b 2x4)

After 7 overs, IND 45/3 (Rahul 16*, Pandey 6*)

After 6 overs, IND 35/3 (Rahul 13*)
Pant gets a leading edge. It goes high and he’s caught out. Poor shot selection from the youngster, plays across the line.
Pant c Bravo b Brathwaite 1 (4b)

After 5 overs, IND 32/2 (Rahul 13*, Pant 0*)
Thomas goes a bit overboard. Steams and delivers at over 148kph. The ball though bounces over Rahul’s head. He then strays down leg and is dispatched for four.

After 4 overs, IND 22/2 (Rahul 7*, Pant 0*)
Rahul gets going with a delightful boundary through the covers. India need another 88 runs from 16 overs.

After 3 overs, IND 16/2 (Rahul 2*)
WICKET! Bowled! Middle stump! Thomas again! This time removes Dhawan. The burly pacer is in top form today. Has now accounted for dismissal of both of India’s openers.
Dhawan b Thomas 3 (8b)

After 2 overs, IND 11/1 (Dhawan 3*, Rahul 1*)
Dhawan and Rahul are both a bit edgy. The West Indies pacers have begun well and a spitting fire at the moment. But, the visitors don’t have a major total to defend.

After 1 over, IND 7/1 (Dhawan 0*)
WICKET! Rohit gone first over! Thomas with a fine delivery and then a great review. The batsman got a tiny edge. The umpire didn’t spot it, but ultra edge does. India one down.
Rohit c Ramdin b Thomas 6 (6b 1x4)

8.45 pm: Time for India’s chase to begin... Rohit and Dhawan in the middle. Target: 110

Innings break: Interesting talking point. Context being Umesh couldn’t pick a booming straight drive off his own bowling.

Innings break:

‘Dream come true to make my India debut. To get Pollard as my first wicket is special as he is a great player in this format & a good friend, a brother to me. Will definitely tease him about this’: Krunal Pandya

End of West Indies innings: 109/8 after 20 overs

A top final over by Bumrah spoiled by a streaky four off the last ball. Slower balls and full length deliveries. Brilliant, this man. The last slower ball is edged over third man. A good session for India.

After 19 overs, WI 103/8 - expensive over!

16 runs from Umesh’s over — tendency to err in length and line at the death comes back to haunt him. Three boundaries in that over for the Windies, the last ball was a rank bad full toss on the pads.

A match to remember so far for India’s latest debutants:

Khaleel Ahmed: 4-1-16-1
KrunaLL Pandya: 4-0-15-1

Top spells!

After 18 overs, WI 87/8 - Khaleel strikes!‘

OUT! Wicket no. 1 in T20Is for Khaleel Ahmed! Looks to the sky and blows a kiss... Fabian Allen out after a useful cameo for a 20-ball 27. That was a good over from Khaleel as well, mixing up his pace nicely. The wicket was a slower ball too, pulled straight to Umesh at midwicket.

After 17 overs, WI 81/7 (Allen 22, Paul 1)

KL Rahul is having a torrid time on the field. First in Umesh Yadav’s over he drops a fairly simple high catch straight down the ground. He covered the distance with ease but dropped it at the end and it goes for four. Allen the beneficiary, Umesh the unlucky bowler. In the next over, he gifts another boundary to Allen, as he fails to read the spin of the ball in the deep. Amateur error.

WICKET! Brathwaite is the seventh man to depart. Kuldeep strikes again. Traps the batsman in front.

After 14 overs, WI 58/6 (Brathwaite 4*, Allen 1*)

After 13 overs, WI 56/6 (Brathwaite 3*, Allen 0*)
WICKET! Kuldeep gets another one. Powell fails to pick the google and gets an outside edge. West Indies lose their sixth.
Powell c Karthik b Kuldeep 4 (13b)

After 12 overs, WI 54/5 (Powell 3*, Brathwaite 3*)

After 11 overs, WI 53/5 (Powell 2*, Brathwaite 3*)
WICKET! Now, Bravo holes out. The West Indies batting disintegrating here. Kuldeep gets his first wicket. Dhawan with a fine catch at long on.
Bravo c Dhawan b Kuldeep 5 (10b)

After 10 overs, WI 49/4 (Bravo 5*, Powell 1*)
WICKET! Krunal gets his first international wicket! Dismisses his Mumbai Indians teammate Pollard who holes out in the deep. The bowler sends him off with a flying kiss.
Pollard c Pandey b Krunal 14 (26b

After 9 overs, WI 47/3 (Pollard 14*, Bravo 4*)

After 8 overs, WI 44/3 (Pollard 12*, Bravo 3*)
Krunal looks nervous in his first international over. Strays down leg twice and then gets smashed down the ground for six by Pollard.

After 7 overs, WI 34/3 (Pollard 5*, Bravo 2*)
Pollard continues to offer the defence. Has been a quiet start from the big man so far.

After 6 overs, WI 31/3 (Pollard 4*, Bravo 0*)
Pollard yet get going. Not his usual self that we are accustomed to with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He’s just got here and still settling down to the conditions. The Indian bowlers have been in top form today and haven’t helped matters.

After 5 overs, WI 29/3 (Pollard 2*, Bravo 0*)
WICKET! Hetmyer looks for the expansive and perishes. Looks to hook Bumrah put of the park, but skies it high. Karthik calls it early and completes the catch. Windies in trouble.
Hetmyer c Karthik b Bumrah 10 (7b 2x4)

After 4 overs, WI 22/2 (Hetmyer 5*, Pollard 0*)
WICKET! Both batsmen at the same end! Hope, though, has to walk back to pavilion, his partner - Hetmyer- beat him past the crease. Horrible mix up. Rahul kind of messed up the throw, but Manish Pandey put in a jump to collect the ball and then duly dislodged the bails.
Hope run out (Rahul/Pandey) 14 (10b 3x4)

After 3 overs, WI 22/1 (Hope 14*, Hetmyer 5*)
WICKET! Umesh gets an edge off Ramdin’s bat. The batsman poked outside off. There was no footwork abut an audible knick to the keeper.
Ramdin c Karthik b Umesh 2 (5b)

After 2 overs, WI 16/0 (Hope 13*, Ramdin 2*)
Khaleel strays down the leg as Hope glides to four off the final delivery of the pacer’s debut T20I over.

FYI: Krunal now spells his name with an extra ‘L’ on the back of his shirt.

After 1 over, WI 4/0 (Hope 8*, Ramdin 0*)
A misfield by Krunal Pandya on his debut. Gives away a boundary in the first over after fluffing up a straightforward diving effort.

Shai Hope and Denesh Ramdin to open the batting for West Indies. India pacer Umesh Yadav to bowl the first over.

The players are out for the national anthems.

IND XI: RG Sharma, S Dhawan, L Rahul, R Pant, M Pandey, D Karthik, K Pandya, K Yadav, J Bumrah, K Ahmed, U Yadav

WI XI: R Powell, DM Bravo, S Hope, S Hetmyer, D Ramdin, K Pollard, C Brathwaite, K Paul, F Allen, K Pierre, O Thomas

Bhuvneshwar Kumar out with a gastric complaint.

Rohit Sharma wins the toss and opts to field first at one of his favourite venues. Says dew is one of the factors for his decision.

“I’m excited because I made my IPL debut also under Rohit’s captaincy. The good thing about his captaincy is he lets you express yourself freely, whether batting or bowling. He backs you all the time.” - Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya has been handed his first India cap.

The ‘end of Dhoni era’ notion has been dismissed unequivocally but then India, for the first time, will still be without the figure with a monumental body of work when they face West Indies in the opening T20 International Sunday.

Less than a week after two-time World Cup-winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was left out of India’s T20I squad, captain Virat Kohli has said he remains an integral part of India’s plans.

Chief selector MSK Prasad also said that it was not the end of the road for Dhoni in T20Is.

With Kohli rested for the three matches, Rohit Sharma will lead the side against the reigning T20 champions.